


Together Again

by agentwashingcat



Series: Catmeleon [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Adam Taurus mentioned, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of emotional abuse/manipulation, not explicitly stated but implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 08:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13096626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentwashingcat/pseuds/agentwashingcat
Summary: Blake and Ilia have a moment to talk before going to Haven. Spoilers for ep 5x10!





	Together Again

Blake moved through the remains of her room, looking to see what could be salvaged. Guilt caused her heart to clench in her chest, but she ignored it for the moment. She had done what she needed to do.

Pausing in her work, she picked up a picture off the floor, staring at it. It was the picture the team had taken at Beacon. She reached out, letting her hand touch the picture, heart aching.

“Knock knock.” Blake’s head shot up, ears twisting towards the sound before her head followed.

Ilia was standing in the doorway, half in half out, looking unsure.

Blake smiled, gently placing the picture down. “Ilia. Come in... to what’s left of my room.”

Ilia gave her a sheepish smile, stepping inside. “Some of this… might be my fault.”

“I’m the one who set the place on fire,” Blake pointed out, glancing around her room. “Not much to salvage here, really.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the first time they had been alone since their fight.

“I’m sorry,” Ilia blurted out suddenly, cheeks tinged with red. “I should have listened to you before.”

“It’s alright,” Blake assured her, stepping closer. “What matters is you’re here now.”

“All I had left was Adam after you left,” Ilia continued, shaking her head. “He made you out to be a traitor, that you were weak, like…” she trailed off, unsure.

“Like my parents,” Blake finished, and Ilia nodded. “I suppose I was a traitor, in a way.” She reached for the picture of her team again, looking at it. “I ran, when I should have stood up to him. I always run…”

“Not always,” Ilia said softly, placing a hand on Blake’s shoulder. “You didn’t run the other night. Thank you.”

“Sun showed me sometimes you have to be there for friends, even if they don’t want you to be.” He had certainly done the same for her. It was her turn to pay it forward. “I didn’t just run for from you and Adam. I ran from my team. After the fall of Beacon, I left.”

“Is that them?”

Blake nodded, letting Ilia see the picture. “Ruby, Weiss… Yang. Yang, she tried to protect me. From Adam. He took her arm off.”

Ilia’s hand squeezed tighter on her shoulder. “Blake, it’s not your fault.”

“I… I’m trying to believe that.” Sun had said as much, but if Adam hadn’t come after her, if she hadn’t tried to hide at Beacon… but she had to remember, she couldn’t change the past. She could only do better in the future. “Leaving her though, when she needed me, that was my fault.”

“Blake, I know you,” Ilia assured her. “You wouldn’t leave unless you thought it was for the best.”

“I just couldn’t stand to see her hurt because of me.” Blake’s eyes began to water, ears flattening forward on her head. She blinked quickly, shaking her head. “It was for me, not for her. I know that now.”

They were silent for a moment, before Ilia spoke again. “You really care about them, don’t you?”

“I do. They showed me the good humans can do. Even Weiss.” Blake smiled, ears perking up. “I met lots of people at Beacon like that. Humans and faunus, who just wanted to help others. It… made me believe most people aren’t as bad as they seem.”

“That’s… a nice sentiment, anyway.”

“I think you’ll see what I mean if you meet them.” Blake set the picture down, turning to face Ilia fully. “How are you doing?”

Ilia sighed, looking down at the ground, hand dropping from Blake’s shoulder. “I want to help. That’s why I’m here.”

“I know, but…” Blake trailed off, unsure how to continue. “Fennec and Corsac were using you, you know that, right?”

“I know… I’m just coming to terms with the fact that Adam was using me too.”

Reaching out, Blake took both of Ilia’s hands in hers. “I understand. I’m here. If you want to talk.”

The spots on Ilia’s face turned blue, and she looked unsure when she lifted her head. “I didn’t understand why you left, at first. But I do now. Adam was, is, turning the white fang to revenge. I thought that was what we needed, what we deserved, but you were right. Revenge doesn’t solve anything.”

“It doesn’t,” Blake agreed, squeezing Ilia’s hands gently. “Adam… he was manipulating us both. He did this to me-” she paused, moving a hand so she could show Ilia the scar on her stomach. “At Beacon. Because I wouldn’t come back. And I wouldn’t run from him.”

Ilia’s hand moved to cover her mouth, eyes wide and full of tears. “I didn’t, _he didn’t tell me that._ ”

“He wouldn’t have.” Hesitating a moment, Blake pulled Ilia into a hug. “He just wanted to use us, to further his own plans. But we’re stronger than him. We deserve better than that.”

For a while, Blake and Ilia stood holding each other, giving each other strength. It made Blake realize just how much she had missed her friend.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I wanted you to come with me, but I was afraid you would tell Adam.”

“You’re right. I would have,” Ilia admitted, pulling back to wipe at her eyes. “I wouldn’t have understood why you were leaving us.”

“I didn’t want to leave you,” Blake admitted, reaching up to cup Ilia’s face. “I _never_ want to leave you.”

The spots on Ilia’s face were pink now, and Blake smiled. She gently tugged Ilia’s face forward, but paused, lips hovering half an inch from Ilia’s. “May I?”

“Yes,” Ilia whispered, closing the gap between them.

The kiss was soft and sweet, like Blake had imagined it would be. When she pulled away, Ilia had turned entirely pink, and Blake let out a small chuckle. “I’m sorry. I was looking at Adam, when I should have been looking at you.”

“It’s okay,” Ilia said faintly, smiling weakly. “That was…”

“Yeah,” Blake agreed, letting her forehead rest against Ilia’s. “I don’t know what happens from here, but I won’t run again. That’s a promise.”

Ilia’s eyes slid closed, her smile softening. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and leave kudos if you liked it!


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